Actress Annabeth Gish looks forward to being the 'new blood' on 'X-Files'

TELEVISION

MIKE McDANIEL, Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle TV Editor

Published 5:30 am, Sunday, June 17, 2001

Annabeth Gish was in Houston to film a movie for VH1, but it is impossible to meet her and not ask questions about The X-Files. Gish, who played FBI Special Agent Monica Reyes on four episodes of the show last season, will become a regular next season.

What can you tell us about the new season?

"It's so funny. Nobody knows. When they shot the season finale, you could not let anybody read your scripts, even your agents. When you talked with the press, you had to tell them, 'I really can't say,' because Chris Carter is very protective."

Any idea whether Gillian Anderson is going to be a full-time cast member next season?

Tracy Letts: 'I had some great stuff land on my doorstep'Associated Press

10 Things You Didn't Know About Reverend Billy GrahamGoodHousekeeping

Kehlani Opens Up About the Best "No" She's Ever ReceivedCosmopolitan

Kirstie Alley Gets Slammed for Calling Curling 'Boring'Wibbitz

"I believe she's going to participate in full (and not like David Duchovny did last season). I know that part of bringing me on was to add a new color to the mix, but also because the show is exhausting to do. ... I've been in the film industry since I was 13, and it's one of the hardest things I've ever done."

At least you won't have to "carry" the show.

"When I first came on, I was nervous because the fan base is so loyal to Scully and Mulder. But it was kind of nice that Robert Patrick had gone before me and broken in the fans with new blood. And it was nice to find so many people who were supportive."

Does it intimidate you to be in the world of sci-fi-obsessed fans?

"No, because frankly I have my own personal interest in things like quantum physics and metaphysics and things of a spiritual bent. So I'm more intrigued by it than scared by it. I don't know if it will change my life at all."

Are you committed to one season or what?

"I've committed to a longer contract than that, but it's based on what they do with the show. Officially, I'm on only this year," but if the show is extended, she's obligated to appear.

Care to guess what's happening to Mulder's character next season?

"I don't know, but he might come back for some cameos occasionally. So it's not like he's completely out of it. And I hope he'll come back and direct a few episodes, which he did during his run on the show."

Do you believe in ETs?

"I think there are alternative life forms out there. I'm not sold on the whole alien theory, but I do think there is other life."